Review: Witchfall by Victoria Lamb

More Tudor Witch romance, intrigue and danger 

If you enjoyed Witchstruck at all (as I definitely did), even the slightest bit, you must read Witchfall. Victoria Lamb has ramped things up for the second instalment of her YA Tudor Witch trilogy: more complexity to the romance, more shadowy danger to our beloved protagonist as well as more historical reference.

The settings in this novel are great and beautifully done. The politicised atmosphere at court and the more rustic country setting are both rendered clearly for the reader, as well as the dreadful vision which plagues poor Meg more and more through the novel. Dangers are definitely lurking everywhere, and this is a very tense read.

It's difficult to say much for a sequel without giving away spoilers, but you should know that the plotting in this novel is first rate. The tension is managed exquisitely, and even when you are sure you know what's going to happen next, there are surprises and twists in store. I am also enjoying the cast of characters created in this series and am very much looking forward to seeing how it is all tied together in the end.

I think the second book in a trilogy must be quite difficult to get right and I am always grumpy with a book which leaves too many loose ends. Witchfall skilfully draws together threads that were introduced in Witchstruck without them having felt like loose ends, and also weaves in (and ties off) new ones effectively. There is clearly mileage to explore and conclude in the next novel, but this is no irritating cliffhanger.

Overall, if you enjoy historical fiction and/or witchy books and/or YA romance, I would definitely recommend this series.

Goodreads Summary

London, 1554. At the court of Mary Tudor, life is safe for no one. The jealous, embittered queen sees enemies all around her, and the infamous Spanish Inquisition holds the court in its merciless grip. But Meg Lytton has more reason to be afraid than most - for Meg is a witch, and exposure would mean certain death. Even more perilous, Meg is secretly betrothed to the young priest Alejandro de Castillo; a relationship which they must hide at all costs.

In the service of the queen's sister, Princess Elizabeth, Meg tries to use her powers to foretell her mistress's future. But when a spell goes terribly wrong, and Meg begins to have horrifying dreams, she fears she has released a dark spirit into the world, intent on harming her and those around her.

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Out now from Corgi Children's Books

Visit the author's website for more info or check out this blog tour interview from last year

My grateful thanks to the publisher for allowing me a review copy via NetGalley

Review: Museum Mayhem by Sara Grant (Magic Trix 4)

More delightful witchery from the Magic Trix series for young readers 

This series is really just lovely. If it's new to you, don't despair, there's time to catch up. Here are my reviews for the earlier titles: The Witching Hour, Flying High, Birthday Wishes.

In this instalment, Trix gets witching cough, which leads to all manner of mayhem on a trip to the Natural History Museum with her family and Holly. As ever, Sara Grant's gentle storytelling emphasises the traits Trix will need to be a good Fairy Godmother one day, offering sound messages about friendship and kindness to her young readers.

I was happy to see Jinx - Trix's magical kitten familiar - getting a good portion of the action in this story. I always enjoy the portions of the story told from his perspective, and it was great to see him more actively involved in the plot.

I really can't recommend this series enough. It will definitely appeal to little girls, offering them funny stories, magic and the chance to see girl characters doing things and having an impact. Great stuff!

From the Back Cover

The three signs that you may be a witch . . .

• You occasionally see witches flying across the midnight sky on their broomsticks.
• Rhyming spells pop into your head at the drop of a (witch's) hat!
• You love planning magical surprises for your friends.

When you're a witch, coughs and sneezes can have surprising special effects - as Trix finds out when a trip to the museum leads to spotty mammoths and lively dinosaurs! Can Jinx the magic kitten help Trix find a cure before her witchy secret is revealed?

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Published 4 July by Orion Children's Books

My grateful thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy (which seems to have migrated to my daughter's shelves...)

Blog Tour: Student Bodies by Sean Cummings - I'm All About the Ass-Kicking (plus GIVEAWAY!)

I'm really excited to have Sean Cummings here at the Hearthfire today, having loved both Poltergeeks and Student Bodies (links to my reviews).

Click here for more tour links

I’m All About The Ass-Kicking

My thanks to Beth Kemp for inviting me to do a guest posting today.

I write urban fantasy – it’s kind of my passion because there’s something liberating about the entire genre. Yes, there are similar kinds of characters with similar kinds of story arcs, but what I really love more than anything is the serious ass-kicking that goes on.

Because slamming evildoers is really something we all might like to do deep down inside. So I tend to live vicariously through the heroes and heroines in books by Jim Butcher, Simon R. Green, Nancy Holzner … I could list all the UF titles I’ve read and probably pick out the best ass-kicking scenes in each one. So when I set about to write a young adult urban fantasy, I really wanted to create a character who epitomizes the kinds of qualities that I’ve found in protagonists by my favorite authors. I also wanted to write a book that was starkly different from what’s currently on the YA shelves at your local bookseller.

In POLTERGEEKS, teen witch Julie Richardson has something to prove to her mother. She’s cocky, snarky, independent and utterly fearless. Unfortunately for her, Mom winds up on the receiving end of a dark spell that rips her soul out of her body and leaves her in a coma. Voila! A hero’s journey. And what kind of hero would you be if you didn’t have a “chosen one” aspect to your life. Julie isn’t really chosen in the sense that she’s messianic – but she does have a magical heritage and part of her journey is to discover what it all means.

In STUDENT BODIES, I’ve really ramped up the tension and raised the stakes. Julie now knows what her place in the world is supposed to be and there’s a threat to every person at her school. She must also balance our the normal teenage mother-daughter conflict in a way that doesn’t make her come off sounding like she’s a petulant teen. Because Julie, like it or not, needs her mother. Mom is her anchor and in this second book, she still has a lot to prove. Her mother also has to begin to let her daughter figure things out for herself – Mom’s challenge is every parent’s challenge: letting go.

Did I mention there’s a lot of ass-kicking going on in book two? Because, you know, there is. We’ve got new friendships – Twyla Standingready, an aboriginal magic slinger in her own right. If Julie’s going to solve the threat to everyone at her school, she’s going to need allies because the danger is very real, very dark and it gets very big very fast.

Marcus is still there, but even he’s not safe. Julie has to deal with the fact that her newfound role places her boyfriend in danger. She’s learning that even with her great power, she can’t always protect those who are closest to her, no matter how much she tries.

STUDENT BODIES is a dark, book. Where POLTERGEEKS was light, fluffy and thrilling, STUDENT BODIES deals with some very dark themes that make all the characters much more believable. There’s a ton of magic being thrown around throughout the book and an ending that I promise you simply won’t see coming.

Well, there you go. An ass-kicking teen witch, a threat to basically everyone at her school and the clock is ticking. Do get a kick out of STUDENT BODIES, won’t you?

About the Author:

Sean Cummings is a fantasy author with a penchant for writing quirky, humorous and dark novels featuring characters that are larger than life. His debut was the gritty urban fantasy SHADE FRIGHT published in 2010. He followed up later in the year with the sequel FUNERAL PALLOR. His urban fantasy/superhero thriller UNSEEN WORLD was published in 2011.

2012 saw the publication of Sean’s first urban fantasy for young adults. POLTERGEEKS is a rollicking story about teen witch Julie Richards, her dorky boyfriend and race against time to save her mother’s life. The first sequel, STUDENT BODIES is due for publication in September 2013.

Sean Cummings lives in Saskatoon Canada.
*Author Links*
  

About the Book:

Student Bodies (Poltergeeks #2)

by Sean Cummings

Release Date: 5 September 2013

Summary from Goodreads:

Whoever said being a teenage witch would be easy? For fifteen-year-old Julie Richardson and the city’s resident protector from supernatural evil, the Left Hand Path doesn't give a damn if you've found true love for the first time in your life. There’s someone lurking the halls of Crescent Ridge High School with enough malice to unleash an epidemic of Soul Worms – supernatural larvae that feed on the very fabric of a victim’s humanity.

After witnessing the death of one of the most popular kids at school, Julie and über genius boyfriend Marcus are in a race against time to find out who is behind the attacks. All the evidence points to a horrifying plot at the City Weir during the Winter Solstice; the place where icy waters of the Bow River and a thunderous spillway will mean the deaths of more than a hundred of Julie’s classmates.

If she has any hope of saving their lives, she’ll need a little help from a coven of white witches and an Aboriginal mage whose snarky attitude is matched only by her magical prowess.

GIVEAWAY
STUDENT BODIES GIVEAWAY:

UK Prize Pack
1 Signed Copy of STUDENT BODIES
1 Signed Copy of POLTERGEEKS
1 Signed Copy of FUNERAL PALLOR
1 Signed Copy of SHADE FRIGHT
1 Amazon Kindle

CANADA/US Prize Pack:
1 Signed Copy of STUDENT BODIES
1 Signed Copy of POLTERGEEKS
1 Signed Copy of FUNERAL PALLOR
1 Signed Copy of SHADE FRIGHT
1 Amazon Kindle

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Student Bodies by Sean Cummings

Great follow-up to Poltergeeks: more sass, more action, more magic! 

I greatly enjoyed Poltergeeks, the first in this series and would absolutely recommend this title if you did too. If you haven't read it yet, stop here - this review has spoilers for that title (but not for Student Bodies).

The characters are again the key strength here for me: Sean Cummings really does know how to create realistic characters who interact and react in ways that we can easily relate to, even while they're involved in a full-on urban fantasy plots involving witches, evil spells and coven politics (yes, that is what I meant). It's clear from the tone of the writing and the emotional realism here that Sean is expert in understanding people, and that really is the heart of this successful series, I think. Yes, there's a cracking plot with plenty of action and some fabulously original ideas (look out for the ultra-creepy soul worms!), but none of that would work as well without the undercurrent of realism lent by the strongly-constructed characters.

As a development from Poltergeeks, this novel is brilliant. There is a complete story here, whilst the world-building and overall story arc is developed, so it doesn't have that flat feel that some 'second/middle of a series' books can. Julie's knowledge and understanding of her own powers and the magical world generally expand here, taking us along with her. Her relationship with Marcus has evolved since the start of the first book and this is a major subplot now, as her mother worries about his involvement in Julie's life as a witch. It's clear that there is more to learn about witchcraft generally, and about Julie's family history and her powers specifically (but not to the point where you feel like stuff is being artificially kept back for the next book), so I'm looking forward to the next instalment.

Overall, I'd absolutely recommend this as a strong urban fantasy which is a perfect example of how to continue a series.

Do come back on Friday for a guest post from Seah Cummings as part of his blog tour (for more on the tour, click the link top left).

Summary from Goodreads:

Whoever said being a teenage witch would be easy? For fifteen-year-old Julie Richardson and the city’s resident protector from supernatural evil, the Left Hand Path doesn't give a damn if you've found true love for the first time in your life. There’s someone lurking the halls of Crescent Ridge High School with enough malice to unleash an epidemic of Soul Worms – supernatural larvae that feed on the very fabric of a victim’s humanity.

After witnessing the death of one of the most popular kids at school, Julie and über genius boyfriend Marcus are in a race against time to find out who is behind the attacks. All the evidence points to a horrifying plot at the City Weir during the Winter Solstice; the place where icy waters of the Bow River and a thunderous spillway will mean the deaths of more than a hundred of Julie’s classmates.

If she has any hope of saving their lives, she’ll need a little help from a coven of white witches and an Aboriginal mage whose snarky attitude is matched only by her magical prowess.

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Publishing in September from Strange Chemistry

For more info, visit the author's website

My grateful thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy via NetGalley

Review: Flying High by Sara Grant

Second in the cute new witchy series for young readers 

I am loving this new series and will absolutely be looking out for more instalments in Trix's magical adventures. The first title, The Witching Hour, introduced us to Trix just at the point where she discovered her magical potential (my review here). In this story, Trix is going to start flying lessons. How exciting is that? It's hard to imagine a young reader not wishing they could also learn to fly on their very own besom.

My 9 year old, in fact, was so inspired that she wrote her own incantation for flying, just like the trainee witches have do in the book. See how inspiring these sweet little books are:

Drift up,
Drift up,
Wait for me there.
As soon as we're ready
We'll fly through the air!

Isn't that cute?

Again, as in the first book, there are strong core values of being a good friend and acting selflessly - clearly essential for fairy godmothers, but pretty sound advice for anyone. This series is shaping up to be a lot of fun, with a valuable and gentle message at its heart.

I would definitely have loved these as a child, and I'm sure they'll be gaining many young fans. I strongly recommend them for young readers, and they would also make good bedtime reading for those not yet reading independently.

From the back cover

There's a big surprise in store for witch-in-training, Trix Morgan, but first she must learn to fly ehr very own broomstick - with a little help from her magic kitten, Jinx.

There are lots of thrills and spills - will Trix ever get the hang of flying? And can she help Pippa overcome mean-girl Stella's nasty tricks?

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Published 7 March by Orion Children's Books

Find more information on the series homepage

My grateful thanks to the publishers for providing us with a review copy

Review: The Witching Hour by Sara Grant

Great witchy fun for young and middle grade readers!

This is the first in the charming new 'Magic Trix' series aimed at the younger reader (shelved as 5-8, I believe). The main character, Trix, discovers on her tenth birthday that she is, in fact, a witch and can aspire to one day being a fairy godmother.

There are, of course, difficulties. This is a secret identity thing, so she can't share her newfound powers with friends and family, and some of the other new witches are not entirely nice. There are strong values of being unselfish running through the story - fitting with the ultimate 'fairy godmother' goal, and plenty of gentle danger and humorous magical mishaps to entertain a young (and not so young!) reader.

Something that I particularly appreciated was that, although it's clearly starting off a series, there was no sense of the story being incomplete or being left on a massive cliffhanger, which has made me annoyed with some  series for this age. It is a discrete story, with characters that you'll want to revisit. Just how a series should be!

I really enjoyed this sweet little book - and the second in the series, Flying High, which I'll be reviewing on Friday. My 9 yr old was very keen to read them too, and she absolutely loved them. She read them during the Easter holidays from school and they inspired no end of witch-related play. I can definitely say that this series captures a kid's imagination!

My daughter's verdict:

I find them very exciting and I particularly like the twist in the second one. I like that it's also a bit about friendship too. I thoroughly enjoyed them both! 

So there you have it! I'd say this is a lovely example of series fiction for this age group, and would absolutely recommend them.

From the publisher's website:

Magical mayhem as little witch, Trix, begins her journey towards becoming a real 'fairy' godmother!

Trix wasn't expecting to develop magical powers when she turned ten, but it was definitely her best, if most surprising, birthday present! Now she's taking witching lessons and has an invisible kitten of her very own - but how can she keep it all a secret from her best friend, Holly?

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Published 7 March by Orion Children's

Find more information on the series homepage

My grateful thanks to the publishers for providing us with a review copy

Top Fives: Witches

From Hansel and Gretel to The Craft, witches have long fascinated us, thrilling and repelling in equal measure. I can never resist a witchy story, so here's a nice set of three top fives of witches. Please note that these are personal lists.

Top Five TV Series/Films with Witches

1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Not just because Willow's development from geek to witch is awesome, but also because of that fabulous addiction metaphor when she loses herself to magic
2. The Craft
3. Charmed (even though it's a bit whiter-than-white with all that 'personal gain' stuff)
4. Practical Magic
5. Sabrina the Teenage Witch 

And now, my age is clear to all... :)

Top Five Witchy YA Books

1. Hollow Pike by James Dawson (contemporary and creepy)
2. The Winter Trilogy by Ruth Warburton (great quest-style adventure)
3. The Tiffany Aching series by Terry Pratchett (brilliant intro to Discworld)  
4. Witchstruck by Victoria Lamb (Tudor witches)
5. Witch Hill by Marcus Sedgwick (deliciously creepy)

Top Five Witchy Children's Books/Series

1. The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy
2. Meg and Mog by Helen Nicoll and Jan Pienkowski
3. The Witches by Roald Dahl (the only one of these with scary witches) 
4. Winnie the Witch by Valerie Thomas/Laura Owen
5. Pongwiffy by Kaye Umansky

Review: A Witch Alone by Ruth Warburton

Satisfying conclusion to a brilliant paranormal YA trilogy 

I was looking forward to this, having loved the first two books in the series, and I was not disappointed. This twisty, clever book surprised and delighted me.

If you haven't read the first two, I'd suggest you stop right here, go to A Witch in Winter (book 1) or A Witch in Love (book 2). I can't guarantee this review will be spoiler-free for the earlier novels.

Again there is a gap between the novels and we join Anna a few weeks after the events of A Witch in Love, allowing her to have settled into a different routine since last we saw her. She remains the strongly principled character I've come to love, and the wicked Ruth Warburton continues to pull her in many directions, testing those principles at every turn. Torn between loyalties to her father, her long-dead mother, her powerful grandmother who represents the forces that tried to kill her in the first book, her witch friends and her love for Seth, Anna is constantly having to weigh up the likely effects of her actions on others.

The supporting cast also remains true to the form we've come to expect. Seth is away, trying to separate himself from Anna and her inability to have faith in his love for her. Abe is difficult but appealing in a bad-boy, rough-around-the-edges kind of way, while Emmaline is her practical, down-to-earth self. Anna's pulled loyalties and quandaries about trust are perfectly replicated in the reading experience and I was unsure whether Anna had put her faith in the right people at several different points (sometimes I was right, and sometimes wrong). This effect is enhanced by the fact that we get everything from Anna's point of view via the first person narration, so others' motives are never clearer to us than to her.

One of the great pleasures of this trilogy has been its ability to surprise me and this last instalment is no different. There were several key twists that I did not see coming, and I really enjoyed that the story got much 'bigger' from the middle of the first book onwards. What started out (or at seemed to) as a paranormal romance with witches, ended up as an epic quest narrative with action happening around the world and a genuine threat to the whole human race.

Overall, I would strongly recommend this novel (and the whole trilogy) to readers of YA, especially those looking for something 'more' in their urban fantasy or paranormal romance. This is a perfect example of a satisfying romance novel, with an admirable heroine and a strong plot beside the romance threads.

The blurb says:

Where do you go when your heart has been ripped out?

For Anna there is only one answer: into her past, where the truth about her mother, her power and her real identity lie hidden.

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Publishing 7 Feb 2013 by Hodder
Find more information at the author's website
My grateful thanks to the publisher for sending a review copy